European journal of pain : EJP
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Informal care-giving by spouses has become frequent in chronic pain settings. However, the impact of pain on occupational, functional and health outcomes in spouses has not been systematically investigated. ⋯ Research has shown that chronic pain poses a significant burden on individuals, which increases their reliance on others for assistance. However, the burden of informal care-giving assumed by spouses of patients with chronic pain has not been systematically investigated. This study offers new insights into the impact of chronic pain on patients and their spouses, which might provide empirical foundation for the development of new avenues for intervention aimed at promoting adjustment in patients with chronic pain and spouses who act as informal caregivers.
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Emotional approach coping (EAC) is a potentially adaptive emotion-focused coping style that involves understanding or processing one's emotions and expressing them appropriately. Although EAC has been studied in various populations, little is known about this construct among people with chronic pain, including potential mediators such as negative affect, which might link EAC to pain-related variables, and moderators of these relationships. ⋯ EAC is associated with lower pain intensity in young/middle-age adults and lower pain interference in women, and lower negative affect mediates these relationships. These results suggest the potential value of assessing and bolstering emotional approach coping processes in some people with chronic pain.